Birthday Celebrations

The day before Abby's birthday, we celebrated with a family party! We had lots of fun. It sounds kind of funny, I have dreamed of the day I could throw my child a birthday party for a LONG time. I love birthdays and I love making birthdays special (not to mention making fun cakes and decorating!). I thought a lot about a party theme and kept coming back to Abby's favorite: Elmo! He was a big part of her first year. I even figured out how to make an Elmo birthday party girlie, which might not sound like a big deal to you, but it bothered me that all things Elmo are red and blue. If I couldn't incorporate girlie colors into my little girl's first birthday, it was going to be a pink cupcake party instead. So, I set to work...

the cupcakes! These were lots of fun to make. My friend Kelly and I had fun creating mini-Elmos the night before the party. I'm so thankful I had her help (and company) to get it all done after a week of being sick.

the centerpiece.
pink, red, orange and yellow! It worked.

happy birthday banner

don't miss the life size Elmo balloon in the corner. He is still alive in our dining room and Abby loves seeing him everyday!

The celebrations begin and our family starts to arrive:

Papa and Uncle Cory "hugging"

just waking up from her nap and trying to get into party mode

"Hey guys, check out my tutu! Isn't it pretty?"

"Are you here to celebrate me?"

crawling everywhere

hanging out with Aunt Kelly

Hi Grammy!

Uncle Cory trying to teach Abby how to ride a quad

"Are all these for me?"

Uncle Cory loaded up the ribbons

playing with Cory's blackberry

Nana sent Abby a baby doll. After Abby examined the baby's face and we took the baby out of the package, Abby hugged her just like a little mommy.

checking out her first purse from Uncle Tommy and Tori

"Look at my baby!"

blow out the candles

Make a wish baby girl!

"Yum! CAKE! Who's been holding out on me?"

mommy and daddy with their birthday girl

Grammy modeling Abby's birthday hat

It was hard to follow up the great party with birthday celebrations on Abby's actual birthday the next day, but we did! Grammy stayed for a couple days, so she was here with us. We started the morning with a birthday breakfast of blueberry pancakes and a couple more gifts.



Then, after Abby had lots of quality time with her Grammy, we went out for a birthday lunch (for Abby and Grammy whose birthday was three days earlier) at Peaches Cafe. Abby even got to ride in her new big girl car seat and face forward for the first time.


Looking forward to many more years of birthday parties and celebrations!

1 Year Old

My baby girl is 1! When I look at her, it's hard to believe she's only been in the world for a year, but at the same time I can't figure out where the time has gone. She brings so much joy to our lives everyday!

I've reminisced A LOT this week. I remember (like it was yesterday)this time last year:

• the days of waiting leading up to Abby's birth. I couldn't wait to meet her and get through labor and delivery. I was convinced if I could do that, I could do anything! It was amazing. Truly a good experience all around. AND it is true what they say...one year has passed and I'm having trouble remembering the pain and hard parts. All I know now is how the end result is better than anything I ever had to go through. I'd do it all again!
  
• the first moments holding her in my arms. Her eyes were so big and beautiful as she starred up at me.
  
• the sweet times shared with Joe watching our little girl while sitting on my hospital bed
  
• learning how to nurse
  
• bundling Abby up and bringing her home for the first time...right where she belongs!
• spending hours holding her and watching her sleep. Pure joy!
  
• putting the monitor beside my bed on the highest setting possible the first night home because I was convinced I might sleep through Abby's cries in the night. That didn't last long...I soon realized I couldn't sleep through the cries if I tried! :)
  

Now, Abby is a few steps from walking on her own! She is a ball of energy and her personality lights up any room. She is smiley and expressive. With her limited vocabulary, she talks up a storm. Da-DEEEEEE! Dssss(This). Ya-ya-ya. Yisssss (Yes). Bababa. She has yet to say Ma-ma, but when asked where the ceiling is, she points up and says See-ing. Seriously little one, did the ceiling nurse you in the middle of the night for the entire beginning of your life? Let's talk about this! :)

She has been identifying lots of objects lately. Right now, we're working on the face. Abby loves to point out nose, ears and teeth. She has a Disney princess bathmat in the tub (to prevent slipping), when we ask her where the princess is she points to each one. It is amazing to see her "get it", to see her respond to questions and communicate! I love it.

When Abby turned one, we transferred her to a big girl car seat that faces forward. It's like we unlocked a whole new world to her. Every time we get in the car, she has a huge smile on her face. She also tries to get her daddy's attention in the rear view mirror and when she does the smile she flashes is enough to create a driving hazard for all involved. It's lots of fun. When we get in the car, I ask her if she wants me to put on music. She nods enthusiastically every time.

Abby's sweet spirit is contagious! I can't think of a better way to spend my days. So, as we celebrate our daughter's first birthday, I'm overwhelmed with praise for our loving God who gave me the privilege to be her momma. Celebrating our precious gift!

Happy 1st Birthday, Abigail Emery!

Sick days = lots of cuddles

Last week was a rough one in our home. Abby and I were both sick with a not-so-fun virus. Abby got sick on Sunday and it took about two days before I was down and out with her. We had 4-day long fevers and awful coughs to go with it. Can I just tell you how thankful I am for a husband who not only didn't get sick, but took care of us the whole week? He made us lunch and cooked our dinners. He brought us lots of fluids so that we stayed hydrated AND he made sure to take our temperatures every few hours when he was home. He even made sure I was in bed to nap as soon as Abby went down for her nap in the afternoon. What a guy!

But, as helpful as Joe was, my rest was minimal because Abby only wanted to be with her mommy. Sweet girl just wanted to be held and cuddled back to health. Normally, Abby loves hugs, but is so active that she doesn't stay put for long. I knew she was sick when she crawled up onto my chest and just stayed there for 40 minutes. Needless to say, we watched way too much TV, read lots of books and spent our days cuddled up together praying that God would heal us in time for Abby's birthday!

enjoying every minute with my baby

precious moments. Thank you Lord!

Not taking our return to health for granted! It feels good to be functioning well again.

Smile

smiling for the camera
(and wearing her adorable new outfit. Thank you Aunt Cyncy! )

BWC

Each year (with the exception of last year), we spend the first week of January in Boston for the Boston Winter Conference. I've been going since I was a student in college. Now, as Campus Crusade staff, it's one of the best parts of our job! It continues to be a highlight for me every year. Not only is it a fun time of fellowship in a wonderful place, but it's a true privilege to be a part of God moving in the lives of so many students. Thank you God for calling us to be a part of your great plan!

Of course, this year was my first year at the conference as a mom, so things looked a little different for me, but I'm so thankful that I was able to be a part of it (this time last year I was sitting on the couch or walking laps around the mall waiting for my little girl to arrive). Joe was very busy with his conference responsibilities, so when we weren't with him, Abby and I spent time exploring the hotel or visiting with staff friends and students. Lots of people time and lots of activity that's for sure! Abby loves being around people. We would get in the elevator with random strangers and she would make sure she had everyone's attention before they reached their floor! My little ham! By the end of the conference though, she was pretty spent. Peopled out, overstimulated and ready to get back home to a familiar place. Now that we are starting to feel a little settled back in, I thought I'd blog all about it! I didn't get any photos of the actual conference (bummer!). My photos probably reflect the conference through the eyes of Abby!

after a long day, we made it to Boston.
Mommy is wiped and Abby is still climbing everywhere ready to play

Abby didn't sleep well during our stay at the hotel. Among many reasons, I'm sure one was having her Daddy just a few feet away talking in his sleep. :) She was up early in the morning and would get into bed with us to enjoy some snuggle time while we enjoyed just a few more moments of rest.

our view from our room. Hello Boston!

Abby sharing her snack with her new friend, Sophie.
Abby was putting the yogurt melts right in Sophie's mouth.

Abby hanging out with Nancy during lunch. Abby LOVES her!

enjoying lunch with some of our students. Just another highlight of our days in Boston. I love these times! Look at Abby's smile!!!! I can barely stand it. I just want to eat her up.

As we walked through the Prudential Center everyday, Abby would point to everything, especially all of the beautifully decorated Christmas trees. She loves "tsssss".

catching some quality time with Daddy

after Daddy left for the day, Abby crawled to the door and started calling for him. DA-DA-DA-DEEE!

hanging out with an awesome view

spending some time with one of her future BFFs

Abby couldn't understand why we wouldn't let her crawl on top of Emma and poke her in the eye

There are many memorable moments I didn't get pictures of, like the nights in the hallway with the other moms after the kiddos were asleep or the times I had with students in the afternoon. It was a great week! Looking forward to BWC 2012...until then, Abby and I will be trying to catch up on our Zzzzz's. Goodnight!

Sweet Moments

Abby and Daddy after Abby snagged a Twizzler from the bag. Sweet moments.